Enhanced line monitoring and parameter reporting for high fiber count undersea fiber optic transmission systems with multiple switchable branches

Abstract

Provided are techniques, devices and systems that enable updating of a reportable parameter table database when a reconfigured optical communication path is formed by switching performed by a branching unit in an undersea optical communication transmission system. A processor may obtain system attributes of each respective segment of a number of segments of the reconfigured optical communication path from a first end point to a second endpoint. The system attributes of each respective segment of the number of segments may be evaluated from the first end point to the second endpoint of the reconfigured optical communication path. A reportable parameter table may be generated based on the evaluated system attributes that includes a listing of operational and structural parameters of system from the first endpoint to the second endpoint of the reconfigured optical communication path.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An undersea optical communication transmission system performance evaluation device, comprising:
 a plurality of line monitoring equipment (LME) devices operable to determine operational performance of an undersea optical communication transmission system, wherein each LME device of the plurality of LME devices is positioned at terminal stations that form the undersea optical communication system; 
 a data storage operable to store information related to the undersea optical communication transmission system; and 
 a processor coupled to the plurality of LME devices and operable to execute programming code that enables monitoring performance of the undersea optical communication system, wherein the processor is further operable to:
 determine that an optical communication path in the undersea optical communication transmission system has been reconfigured, wherein the reconfigured optical communication path is formed by coupling a plurality of segments of the undersea optical communication transmission system together enabling optical communication signal transmission, and the reconfigured optical communication path has a first endpoint and a second endpoint; 
 obtain, from the data storage, system attributes of each respective segment of the plurality of segments from the first endpoint to the second endpoint of the reconfigured optical communication path; 
 evaluate the system attributes of each respective segment of the plurality of segments from the first end point to the second endpoint of the reconfigured optical communication path; and 
 generate a reportable parameter table based on the evaluated system attributes, wherein the reportable parameter table includes a listing of operational parameters of the reconfigured optical communication path. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The performance evaluation device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor, when determining that the optical communication path has been reconfigured, is operable to:
 receive switch indication signals indicating that an optical switch of a branching unit switched to provide the reconfigured optical communication path, wherein the switch indication signals identify segments of the undersea optical communication transmission system coupled together to form the reconfigured optical communication path. 
 
     
     
       3. The performance evaluation device of  claim 2 , wherein the processor, when obtaining, from the data storage, the system attributes of each respective segment of the plurality of segments from the first end point to the second endpoint of the reconfigured optical communication path, is operable to:
 access, in the data storage, beginning of life data for each segment identified as forming the reconfigured optical communication path, wherein the beginning of life data includes system attributes of each component of the optical communication transmission system in each respective segment identified as forming the reconfigured optical communication path. 
 
     
     
       4. The performance evaluation device of  claim 3 , wherein the processor, when evaluating the system attributes of each respective segment of the plurality of segments from the first end point to the second endpoint of the reconfigured optical communication path, is further operable to:
 calculate, using the beginning of life data, baseline information for each segment identified as forming the reconfigured optical communication path; 
 evaluate operational performance of the reconfigured optical communication path with respect to the calculated baseline information, wherein the evaluation generates the operational parameters; and 
 update the reportable parameter table using the operational parameters generated during the evaluation of the operational performance of the reconfigured optical communication path. 
 
     
     
       5. The performance evaluation device of  claim 4 , wherein the processor, when evaluating the operational performance of the reconfigured optical communication path with respect to the calculated baseline information, is further operable to:
 receive operational performance signals from individual line monitoring equipment of the plurality of line monitoring equipment, wherein the operational performance signals are received from line monitoring equipment coupled to a plurality of high loss loopback data sources positioned along the reconfigured optical communication path; and 
 generate the operational parameters based on the received operational performance signals for the updating of the reportable parameter table. 
 
     
     
       6. The performance evaluation device of  claim 1 , the processor further operable to:
 provision operational parameters of one or more LME devices of the plurality of line monitoring devices based on obtained system attributes of the reconfigured optical communication path; 
 update a line monitoring system database with a list of the one or more LME devices that had operational parameters provisioned based on the reconfigured optical communication path; and 
 output an updated monitoring schedule to all of the LME devices effected by the reconfigured optical communication path. 
 
     
     
       7. The performance evaluation device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor, when determining that the reconfiguration of the optical communication path has been reconfigured, is operable to:
 receive an updated routing table from a branching unit optical switch, wherein the updated routing table indicates connections between segments from the first endpoint to the second endpoint. 
 
     
     
       8. The performance evaluation device of  claim 1 , the processor is further operable to:
 evaluate a reportable parameter table database that includes fault information related to the reconfigured optical communication path; 
 based on a result of the evaluation, select one or more automatic fault signature analysis algorithm from a list of automatic fault signature analysis algorithms to apply to respective segments of the reconfigured optical communication path, wherein the result of the evaluation indicates the one or more automatic fault signature analysis algorithms for application to each respective segment of the reconfigured optical communication path; and 
 provision a respective line monitoring equipment monitoring each respective segment of the reconfigured optical communication path by assigning the selected automatic fault signature analysis algorithm to the respective line monitoring equipment.